Last week Molly and Penny both went in for checkups. Here are the numbers:
Molly (at 3 years)
35 lbs (85th percentile)
39.25 inches (90th percentile) I prefer to say she's 3'3"
BMI (WHAT??? They do that for kids. Ok--I'll just record it in case I'm ever wondering) is 16 (55th percentile).
Penny (13 months)
22 lbs 6 oz (60th percentile)--she's getting skinny, probably because she won't eat anything except breast milk and watermelon and kefir (and any kind of Indian curry with rice)
31" (90th percentile). She's tall, though!
head circumference 18.5" (90th) and she has a big head.
Her tall, skinny, big-headed frame is not keeping her from toddling around. The kid can scoot really quickly. Yesterday she took one teeny tiny step. She can walk really quickly holding someone's hand.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
raw kale salad
I discovered this salad a while back in Vegetarian Times, and we love it. It's really easy to make, and it is very nourishing as well. Last night I dressed it up with a raw beet and carrot salad I made a couple of days ago (just shredded vegetables with some oil, vinegar, cumin, salt, and fresh herbs) and some pumpkin seeds. We usually just eat it plain, though.
1 bunch kale, stemmed and torn into pieces
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
Dressing:
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 Tbsp lemon zest
1/2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp honey or other sweetener
Place kale in large bowl with olive oil, vinegar, and salt. Massage a few minutes until kale starts to wilt. Let sit on counter for about 30 minutes. Whisk together dressing and pour over kale. We usually have enough for two days of salad--it keeps surprisingly well.
1 bunch kale, stemmed and torn into pieces
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
Dressing:
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 Tbsp lemon zest
1/2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp honey or other sweetener
Place kale in large bowl with olive oil, vinegar, and salt. Massage a few minutes until kale starts to wilt. Let sit on counter for about 30 minutes. Whisk together dressing and pour over kale. We usually have enough for two days of salad--it keeps surprisingly well.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
new sauerkraut and kombucha
I got a bok choy in my CSA box last week. Bill spent a couple of weeks in China and Hong Kong a few years ago, and he has since not been a big fan of bok choy (really the only food he has an aversion to). When I was pregnant with Penny, bok choy for some reason completely repulsed me, and it still does somewhat (really the only food I have an aversion to). I decided to, of course, ferment it. I got the inspiration from a recipe that an acquaintance sent me that used seaweed. I happened to have some seaweed in my cabinet--Molly loves to eat dried seaweed--so I decided to give it a try. I just chopped the bok choy, added one sheet (minus a few bites taken by Molly) of nori, and a teaspoon of salt.
Molly mashed it all for me, and we packet it into a jar.
Thanks to my friend, Abacus, I have been doing some experimenting with kombucha. I made strawberry-raspberry kombucha first, and now I have some blueberry kombucha fermenting. I put three bottles of the strawberry in the cabinet for a secondary fermentation (also on the suggestion of Abacus). I will try it tomorrow. I only had three bottles in which to put the tea for the secondary fermentation so I got to drink some fresh. It was DELICIOUS!!! I can't wait to try the stuff in the bottles, which should be extra bubbly. The blueberry should be ready on Saturday or Sunday. I made the same basic recipe, except I added fresh fruit when I added the tea bags, I added less sugar because of the sugar in the fruit, and I let it ferment for four days rather than seven or eight.
Molly mashed it all for me, and we packet it into a jar.
Thanks to my friend, Abacus, I have been doing some experimenting with kombucha. I made strawberry-raspberry kombucha first, and now I have some blueberry kombucha fermenting. I put three bottles of the strawberry in the cabinet for a secondary fermentation (also on the suggestion of Abacus). I will try it tomorrow. I only had three bottles in which to put the tea for the secondary fermentation so I got to drink some fresh. It was DELICIOUS!!! I can't wait to try the stuff in the bottles, which should be extra bubbly. The blueberry should be ready on Saturday or Sunday. I made the same basic recipe, except I added fresh fruit when I added the tea bags, I added less sugar because of the sugar in the fruit, and I let it ferment for four days rather than seven or eight.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Fermenting: I've missed you!
I haven't posted in a while about the ferments I've been doing. I ordered some kefir grains on line (thanks for the inspiration, dear Abacus), and I have been making that every day since I got them a few weeks ago. It is definitely an acquired taste, and I think I have finally acquired it. I even got both Molly and Penny to drink some yesterday. It doesn't really taste like yogurt, as I thought it would. Kefir is fermented using little grains put in milk to ferment about 24 hours at room temperature. The grains reproduce themselves so I can share grains if anyone is interested. I have been putting the finished product in the fridge to drink; the taste is definitely improved when it's cold.
On Tuesday, Molly and I made some more sauerruben (i.e., fermented turnips) from the first turnips I saw at the farmers market. They were little tiny turnips, in contrast to the obscenely large ones from last fall. Molly and I both took a couple of sample tastes today. I think it needs another day or two, but Molly kept wanting another and another and another bite. So I guess she likes it now. Here is Molly stirring the turnips.
Today we made some more kimchi. Molly's favorite thing to do is to "smash, smash, smash!!!" the kimchi before and after we put it in the crock. Here is a picture of the magic combination of onion, garlic, ginger, and red pepper (dried, purchased from the farmers market) that turns ordinary cabbage into that wonderfully delicious condiment/salad topping/side dish/breakfast we call kimchi.
And because of another suggestion by my dear friend Abacus, I have started back to my kombucha. I have had two scoby's taking up room in the fridge for the past few weeks. I've just been lazy about making a batch lately. Per Abacus's suggestion, I made a batch with strawberries and raspberries (she made one with strawberries and one with strawberries and lemon, if I remember correctly). I will also do a secondary fermentation on this one to increase the carbonation. I've never done that before, but Abacus had good success with it so I am keeping my fingers crossed that I will, too.
So right now I have kimchi, sauerruben, kefir, and kombucha taking up space on my counter.
On Tuesday, Molly and I made some more sauerruben (i.e., fermented turnips) from the first turnips I saw at the farmers market. They were little tiny turnips, in contrast to the obscenely large ones from last fall. Molly and I both took a couple of sample tastes today. I think it needs another day or two, but Molly kept wanting another and another and another bite. So I guess she likes it now. Here is Molly stirring the turnips.
Today we made some more kimchi. Molly's favorite thing to do is to "smash, smash, smash!!!" the kimchi before and after we put it in the crock. Here is a picture of the magic combination of onion, garlic, ginger, and red pepper (dried, purchased from the farmers market) that turns ordinary cabbage into that wonderfully delicious condiment/salad topping/side dish/breakfast we call kimchi.
And because of another suggestion by my dear friend Abacus, I have started back to my kombucha. I have had two scoby's taking up room in the fridge for the past few weeks. I've just been lazy about making a batch lately. Per Abacus's suggestion, I made a batch with strawberries and raspberries (she made one with strawberries and one with strawberries and lemon, if I remember correctly). I will also do a secondary fermentation on this one to increase the carbonation. I've never done that before, but Abacus had good success with it so I am keeping my fingers crossed that I will, too.
So right now I have kimchi, sauerruben, kefir, and kombucha taking up space on my counter.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Happy birthday, Penelope!
Today is Penny's birthday. I really cannot believe it. This year has been full of changes and has just flown by. On Sunday we had a small party with family for her birthday. My mom made her a ridiculously cute birthday crown, to be worn in lieu of a paper party hat. She kept it on all day, including when she fell asleep at the end of her own party.
I realized that I never wrote the story of Penny's birth. I kept telling myself to record it so I don't forget it, and I just turned around, and a full year has passed. So I will record it to the best of my knowledge. Really, this is for me to remember the day so feel free to skip this. :)
Around 4AM on the morning of May 24th, my water broke. I had to get up to pee and immediately realized what happened because it was exactly as it happened with Molly's birth. I woke Bill up, and he said "Let's just go back to sleep, try to get some rest." Because Molly was sound asleep in the other room, and I was still tired, this seemed like a reasonable idea. Looking back, it was probably pretty silly because Molly's birth happened so quickly. We also had some people lined up to watch Molly, and we didn't want to call them so early either. Around 7 when Molly woke, Bill stretched and said, "Now, did I dream it, or did your water break?" TRUE STORY! Anyway, long story short, we called the doctor and were told to get to the hospital pronto because of my history, even though I wasn't having any contractions yet. We made all the phone calls to our wonderful friends Tamara and Annie, who had agreed to share Molly duty until the birth.
Hours passed before any contractions actually started. It's funny because I had been on bed rest for about six weeks because every time I stood up, I would have contractions. After my water broke, nothing. We ran across the street to get food. I figured I would have the baby any time so I wanted to eat as much as I could. The hospital, though enlightened in many ways in terms of their practices around birth, still had a policy that laboring women are not supposed to eat after their water breaks, in case they have to be put under for something (the nurse told us this never happens because even in almost every C-section the mother is awake). No one was watching too closely, of course, but I just would eat in between visits from the nurses (who, by the way, were absolutely fabulous for my numerous stays at Alta Bates Hospital) so I didn't put them in the awkward position of stating the policy.
Around 3:30 or so I still was not very dilated, maybe about 4cm. The doctor was starting to get a little concerned that I might get an infection because my water broke. She wanted to start induction because the risk apparently goes way up after 12 hours, which we were getting very close to. Bill and I discussed it, and we decided to go ahead with it. I was absolutely terrified. I wanted a fully natural birth, and I was nervous I would have to get an epidural because the pain would be too much. Well, as I implied earlier, Alta Bates is really progressive, and their policy for Pitocin was to administer it at about 1/10th the rate of the national standard, which meant that it would be a very, very gradual induction. I only got two doses, and I started to labor in full force. I breathed through the contractions in any position that felt right, usually on my hands and knees with my head buried in my pillow. I breathed through them all, and I didn't need any pain medicine, which I was thankful for. Between the actual contractions I remember feeling very present, talking with Bill and the nurse. During the contractions, I was in a different place. I remember hearing the nurse and Bill continue their conversation while I was moaning and breathing on the bed between them. They were attending to me, and I would use my hands to communicate what I needed or where I needed them to push to relieve some of the pressure. My wonderful group of momma friends had had a blessing circle for me a few weeks prior to my birth, and I was channeling that love and energy during my contractions, breathing through them and picturing my body as water, with the waves of the painful contractions like the waves in the ocean.
The labor was really short (though not as short as with Molly), and after about three hours I was ready to push. I remember the same feeling with Molly--when it was time to push, there was really no stopping it. I pushed about 15 minutes, and out came our little Penelope. I wanted her immediately on me, no bath or anything. The doctor put her on my chest, and immediately she started to nurse. The nurses wiped her off while she nursed, and Bill and I cried and cried and were so happy! What a difference from Molly's birth! I didn't let go of Penny for at least an hour; Bill couldn't wait any longer to hold her. I don't really remember birthing the placenta, but I'm pretty sure it was while I was holding Penny. She didn't get weighed for about two hours after she was born because we were holding her. The two of us have not been apart for more than a few hours since then.
Here the three of us are soon after the birth, before her bath and weight check.
I realized that I never wrote the story of Penny's birth. I kept telling myself to record it so I don't forget it, and I just turned around, and a full year has passed. So I will record it to the best of my knowledge. Really, this is for me to remember the day so feel free to skip this. :)
Around 4AM on the morning of May 24th, my water broke. I had to get up to pee and immediately realized what happened because it was exactly as it happened with Molly's birth. I woke Bill up, and he said "Let's just go back to sleep, try to get some rest." Because Molly was sound asleep in the other room, and I was still tired, this seemed like a reasonable idea. Looking back, it was probably pretty silly because Molly's birth happened so quickly. We also had some people lined up to watch Molly, and we didn't want to call them so early either. Around 7 when Molly woke, Bill stretched and said, "Now, did I dream it, or did your water break?" TRUE STORY! Anyway, long story short, we called the doctor and were told to get to the hospital pronto because of my history, even though I wasn't having any contractions yet. We made all the phone calls to our wonderful friends Tamara and Annie, who had agreed to share Molly duty until the birth.
Hours passed before any contractions actually started. It's funny because I had been on bed rest for about six weeks because every time I stood up, I would have contractions. After my water broke, nothing. We ran across the street to get food. I figured I would have the baby any time so I wanted to eat as much as I could. The hospital, though enlightened in many ways in terms of their practices around birth, still had a policy that laboring women are not supposed to eat after their water breaks, in case they have to be put under for something (the nurse told us this never happens because even in almost every C-section the mother is awake). No one was watching too closely, of course, but I just would eat in between visits from the nurses (who, by the way, were absolutely fabulous for my numerous stays at Alta Bates Hospital) so I didn't put them in the awkward position of stating the policy.
Around 3:30 or so I still was not very dilated, maybe about 4cm. The doctor was starting to get a little concerned that I might get an infection because my water broke. She wanted to start induction because the risk apparently goes way up after 12 hours, which we were getting very close to. Bill and I discussed it, and we decided to go ahead with it. I was absolutely terrified. I wanted a fully natural birth, and I was nervous I would have to get an epidural because the pain would be too much. Well, as I implied earlier, Alta Bates is really progressive, and their policy for Pitocin was to administer it at about 1/10th the rate of the national standard, which meant that it would be a very, very gradual induction. I only got two doses, and I started to labor in full force. I breathed through the contractions in any position that felt right, usually on my hands and knees with my head buried in my pillow. I breathed through them all, and I didn't need any pain medicine, which I was thankful for. Between the actual contractions I remember feeling very present, talking with Bill and the nurse. During the contractions, I was in a different place. I remember hearing the nurse and Bill continue their conversation while I was moaning and breathing on the bed between them. They were attending to me, and I would use my hands to communicate what I needed or where I needed them to push to relieve some of the pressure. My wonderful group of momma friends had had a blessing circle for me a few weeks prior to my birth, and I was channeling that love and energy during my contractions, breathing through them and picturing my body as water, with the waves of the painful contractions like the waves in the ocean.
The labor was really short (though not as short as with Molly), and after about three hours I was ready to push. I remember the same feeling with Molly--when it was time to push, there was really no stopping it. I pushed about 15 minutes, and out came our little Penelope. I wanted her immediately on me, no bath or anything. The doctor put her on my chest, and immediately she started to nurse. The nurses wiped her off while she nursed, and Bill and I cried and cried and were so happy! What a difference from Molly's birth! I didn't let go of Penny for at least an hour; Bill couldn't wait any longer to hold her. I don't really remember birthing the placenta, but I'm pretty sure it was while I was holding Penny. She didn't get weighed for about two hours after she was born because we were holding her. The two of us have not been apart for more than a few hours since then.
Here the three of us are soon after the birth, before her bath and weight check.
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Don't stop dancing, kiddo
We went to the Louisville Loves Mountains festival last night. It amounted to a (very cool) appearance by Wendell Berry and lots of beer and very good music. Molly had a fabulous time dancing, and, I gotta say, the kid has got some moves. Here she is dancing to Appalatin. As the name suggests, their music was a mix of Appalachian and Latin music--great for dancing!
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
POTTY TRAINED!!!
Woo hoo!!! Molly has been in big girl underwear for just over a week now. She has had a couple of accidents, but overall she is doing great. One day, I reached the point where I thought, "I am going to die--DIE--if I have to change one more crappy pull-up." She had been in pull-ups for what felt like forever, and they were just way too easy for her to pee and poop in. So on the day I thought I would die, I just told myself enough is enough. I put her in underwear and told her she was wearing big girl underwear; don't pee or poop in them. And she didn't (for the most part). I am so proud of her!
Penny's sleep has been getting better. We decided I would not to feed her until after 4AM so Bill usually will go in if she cries and try to comfort her to get her to go back to sleep. We had to take a break because the stress of her screaming for so long was, well, really stressful. But we tried again a few weeks ago, and she has actually taken to it pretty well. She will most often be able to comfort herself back to sleep within a few minutes, but if she doesn't Bill can go in, and she usually will go back to sleep.
Penny's sleep has been getting better. We decided I would not to feed her until after 4AM so Bill usually will go in if she cries and try to comfort her to get her to go back to sleep. We had to take a break because the stress of her screaming for so long was, well, really stressful. But we tried again a few weeks ago, and she has actually taken to it pretty well. She will most often be able to comfort herself back to sleep within a few minutes, but if she doesn't Bill can go in, and she usually will go back to sleep.
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